West hatches Morsi exile plan in bid to end Egyptian army's killing

AMERICA and Europe have pressured the Egyptian military to “step back from the brink” and avoid a showdown with the Muslim Brotherhood that could lead to a repeat of last weekend’s massacre in which more than 70 died.

Under a possible deal, Mohamed Morsi, who has been detained since he was removed as president last month, would be sent into exile. The deal would involve two Arab countries, probably Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, acting as intermediaries between the Brotherhood and the generals, according to a senior official with close links to the interim government and the military.

John Kerry, the US secretary of state, intervened last week after Mohamed Ibrahim, Egypt’s interior minister, warned that a mass pro-Morsi sit-in at Nasr city and al-Nahda Square in Cairo would soon be dispersed and brought to an end “in a legal manner”.